Family Matters
by BarnOwl500
Summary: What happened in the Land of the Living after Miguel ran away and was cursed? How would his family react to not being able to find him?


Family Matters

"I don't want to be in this family!"

"Miguel!" Enrique cried as he ran after his son, hand outstretched; as if he could grab him and pull him back, "Miguel!"

He reached the gates to the family compound, stumbling over the lip in his haste. Enrique was only a few seconds behind his son, but Miguel was already out of sight. The boy was able to use his size to his advantage, weaving through the crowd to insure he wasn't followed immediately. Enrique ran a hand through his hair, the words Miguel had just screamed in his _abuelita's_ face ringing through his head, and stared helplessly down the street. He had a pretty good idea where Miguel was headed; so even though his gut twisted with the need to follow his son and bring him home, Enrique felt it would probably be best to let Miguel calm down a bit.

He blew out a frustrated breath, hand to the back of his neck, as he turned towards the compound. Enrique needed to have a conversation with his _mama_ while they gave Miguel his space. Stepping through the gates, Enrique noted the shocked looks of his family with slight amusement. Poor Berto was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, unable to get anything out. His wife wasn't faring any better.

Enrique's _papa_ was glancing between the gate and his wife; a startled expression on his face. Miguel had always been a quiet, polite kid. _Papa_ Franco hadn't expected a reaction like that from him.

Gloria looked heartbroken. Enrique walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off before walking quickly away. Not for the first time Enrique cursed the man who'd broken her heart. Judging by her reaction, he must have said something really close to Miguel's yelled declaration. Enrique resolved to go and talk to her once everything was settled down.

He gave his wife a reassuring smile, trying his best to let her know everything would be alright. Luisa didn't look entirely convinced but she trusted his judgement enough to step back and take a breath. Enrique then turned to look at his _mama_. Annoyance and frustration flickered to life in his chest. He couldn't believe she'd just done something so callous; regardless how the family felt about music and musicians.

However, it seemed that Miguel had done his own damage. Elena couldn't have looked any more dumbfounded than if Miguel had slapped her. And in a way, Enrique supposed Miguel had. Just not physically. Glancing over, his own expression hardened, the frustration growing, as he caught sight of the shattered guitar.

Elena may be his _mama_, she may be the head of the family, but what she'd just done was uncalled for. There could, and should, have been a better way to handle the situation than what just happened. Regardless of the family strictures, there had to have been a better way.

"_Mama_," Enrique's voice was tight as he addressed Elena. She glanced at him but didn't say anything and he took that as permission to continue. He gestured toward the _ofrenda_ room, "Can we talk?"

Talk. Not immediately go after Miguel. To her, that was unacceptable and it immediately broke her out of her trance.

"But, _mijo_!" Elena cried as she looked at the gate Miguel had run through not two minutes before. Her whole body was leaning forward as if she were about to follow him but was holding herself back, "We need to go after him! We need to bring him home!"

"Miguel will be fine for a few minutes on his own, _Mama_. He does it all the time," He replied, voice tight, "Besides, it's probably best to give him a few minutes to himself. Which works out since I need to speak to you now."

Luisa stood to the side with the other members of the family (who hadn't quite recovered from their shock yet) as she watched the byplay between mother and son. Enrique was typically a very even-tempered man. There was very little that ever managed to upset him. It was typically his brother, Berto, that was left to be the family firebrand, while their sister, Gloria, usually fell somewhere in the middle. However, Enrique could have his stubborn moments, too. At times he could match Elena.

It seemed now was going to be one of them.

The thought flitted briefly through Luisa's mind about how Enrique managed to typically be the calm one among a family that really...wasn't.

Perhaps it was a distant ancestor's influence.

Still, at the moment, Luisa could only watch helplessly as Rivera stubbornness met Rivera stubbornness.

Elena glared at her son, silently willing him to give way to her demand that they find Miguel now, but eventually realized he wasn't going to. She huffed, turned on her heal, and marched toward the _ofrenda_ room with Enrique following close behind. The rest of the family watched the two go silently. It wasn't often that someone defied Elena's edicts but both Enrique and Miguel had done so in less than ten minutes.

Once Elena and her son had both entered the room, she turned to Enrique, arms crossed and eyes narrowed into angry slits. In her mind, Miguel would feel better once he was back with his family, celebrating _Dia de los Muertos_. She couldn't understand why Enrique was delaying them going after him. Elena would be certain to let Enrique know how unhappy his decision made her.

Once mother and son were out of sight, Luisa silently wished Enrique good luck before turning to Berto and _Papa_ Franco.

"Would the two of you mind going to the plaza and seeing if you can spot Miguel?" She asked the two men in a soft voice. Luisa didn't think Elena could hear her out here but it was better safe than sorry. She would insist on going with her husband and older son but, judging from Enrique's expression earlier, he wasn't about to let his _mama_ go anywhere until he'd said his piece.

"You think that's where he'll be?" _Papa_ Franco asked, frowning slightly.

"It's where he wanted to be tonight," Luisa reminded them. She rested a hand on her belly and shrugged at their dubious expressions, "As much as this family denies music be a part of our lives, we all know that that's all Miguel has ever really been interested in. We've just ignored it; expecting him to grow out of it eventually. He finds comfort in it and don't we all want to go where we're most comfortable when we're upset?"

Berto and _Papa_ Franco nodded. What she said made sense.

Miguel always thought he was being sneaky but the entire family knew how much he loved music. Only Mama Elena seemed to still be in denial over that fact. They all figured he'd just grow out of it, or if they ignored it, he would eventually get bored of it and turn his mind to shoe-making like the rest of them. None of them ever realized exactly to what extent Miguel had gone for his love. Making a little _ofrenda_ to a musician, building his own guitar, which in itself was rather impressive, or creating a secret room? None of them would have thought he'd go that far in their wildest dreams.

"We'll go ahead there now," Berto said as _Papa_ Franco nodded his agreement. Berto sighed before continuing, "Maybe we can convince him to come back."

"I would rather you left that to Enrique and I," Luisa said quietly as she started to herd the rest of the family towards the house, "He's more likely to listen to us."

"If that's what you want, _mija_," _Papa_ Franco replied quietly, "We'll just try-"

_Papa_ Franco paused as raised voices started to come from the _ofrenda_ room. Everyone turned that way, varying degrees of worry etched into their faces. Even Gloria popped her head out of the kitchen door to see what was going on.

"_Mama_," Enrique began quietly, crossing his own arms in a mirror to her stance, "You know I respect and love you, as both the head of this family and as my _mama_, but what you did out there, the decision you just made, that was completely uncalled for."

For the second time that night Elena looked as if someone had slapped her. However, Enrique knew her silence and shock wasn't going to last long. He was right, of course, as a few seconds later her expression shut down and she puffed up in indignation.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She replied tartly, "Music has been a curse on this family! It is a poison that kept _Mama_ Coco's _papa_ from ever coming home! And it is starting to work on Miguel! Everything I did out there was to keep your son from going down the same path he did!"

Elena's voice had slowly been getting louder and louder as she spoke, now Enrique matched her in his reply.

"But there had to have been a better way than smashing that guitar on the ground in front of him!" Enrique almost shouted as he gestured to the courtyard where the broken guitar still lay, "A guitar that it looks like he made himself! You yourself say to always take pride in the work of your hands and to never destroy something you create! To always keep it, mistakes and all, to learn from it!"

"That is in reference to the shoes we make, Enrique, not a musical instrument! Shoes! Our very livelihood! So that we may become better and be masters at our craft! And what does it matter if Miguel made it himself?" Cried Elena as she gestured wildly in her agitation, "It is still a musical instrument that is banned from this house!"

"It matters because you smashed something he clearly spent a lot of time on and clearly cherished! You've let this music ban blind you to the fact that you may have irreparably damaged Miguel's relationship with you and this entire family!" Enrique retorted, "We've always known, ever since he was small, that Miguel loved music more than shoes. Even if we weren't prepared to admit exactly how much!"

Elena paused, something in what Enrique said beginning to penetrate her anger but Enrique wasn't done.

"Yelling at Miguel and telling him that this is just the way things are has only ever made him rebel. It's never worked," The frustration in his chest was starting to creep into his tone because Enrique could see that Elena still just wasn't getting it, "You have to explain things a certain way for him to be able to accept them. Yelling at him and saying 'You will do as I say because I say and this is how it's always been' never works with him. It just frustrates him because he doesn't see why things can't be different. Now that's not to say that he doesn't respect his elders and that he doesn't listen to us on most important matters but he's always had a question as to why things are the way they are. He does his best to please his family in his own way to the best of his ability."

Elena tried several times to get a word in but wasn't able to. Enrique was on roll now and was determined that his mama would hear what he had to say.

"And now, not just you, but the entire family has done the worst possible thing: we ganged up on him to tell him why he was wrong instead of just taking him to the side and explaining why what he was saying just wasn't logical. We let our emotions get the best of us. We all owe him an apology but you owe him the biggest one."

"And why should I?" Elena asked sharply, "I am the head of this family and I was merely handing out punishment for his disrespectful behavior and horrible comments."

"You may be the head of this family, _Mama_, but you will never hurt my son like that again," Enrique said sharply, his stance tense and imposing as he looked at Elena, "I won't stand for it."

Elena paused, taking in her son's tone of voice and body language. He'd never used that tone with her before and it scared her. It scared her because, while she didn't think she'd done anything wrong, Enrique obviously did. Elena knew her son well enough to know he'd been pushed to his limit. If he was saying he wouldn't stand for it, then he wouldn't. However, Elena wasn't ready to concede that most of the blame in the situation was hers. She still didn't believe she'd done anything wrong.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Elena's tone was stiff and unyielding as she turned away from her son to _Mama_ Coco who'd been in the room the entire time. Though, if she'd understood any of the conversation, Elena couldn't tell. Her _mama_ was still just as lost in her thoughts as she'd ever been the last few years.

"See that you do," Enrique muttered as he turned away. But he knew his words had fallen on deaf ears. Elena had already detached herself from the conversation. He noted how dark it was getting, "I'm going to go look for Miguel. Hopefully he's calmed down enough by this point that he'll be willing to come back."

"As you will."

Enrique knew he'd been dismissed.

He sighed in the face of his mother's hurt and anger but turned toward the door to go. There was no point in staying when she was this angry. Anything else he tried to say would just make her angrier now, and more belligerent later.

As Enrique stepped into the courtyard, he noted that it was even darker than he'd initially thought. Worry tightened in his stomach but he did his best to hide it from Luisa who was waiting for him. He could hear Gloria, Carmen, and his nieces and nephews somewhere else in the compound. But he couldn't tell if Berto or his _papa_ was with them. He wanted to enlist their help in searching for Miguel, but Luisa stopped him before he could go looking for them.

"I sent Berto and your _papa_ to the plaza to see if they could spot Miguel," Luisa said in reply to his inquiring look. He sat beside her on the bench she was currently lounging on at the side of the courtyard, "I didn't know how long you were going to be and I wanted to get eyes on him as quickly as possible."

"That was a good idea, _mi amor_."

Enrique sighed as he leaned back, "They do the leg work and we just go and get him."

His attempt at humor went unnoticed. Luisa simply nodded her agreement, too tired, worried, and uncomfortable to give it more credence. She indicated for Enrique to help her up, which he did, carefully. Luisa groaned as she straightened up, a hand automatically going to her belly. She was only halfway along in her pregnancy but she was constantly exhausted. Enrique put an arm around his wife to support her as they walked.

"How are we going to approach him?" She asked quietly once they'd made it down the road a little ways. It wasn't too crowded now; everyone was gathered around _ofrendas_, in the cemetery, or at the plaza.

"Very carefully," Her husband replied, "I could just see him taking off again and I don't think the town would care too much for us bodily carrying him back kicking and screaming. Even if he is our son."

Luisa hummed in acknowledgement, knowing that what he was actually saying was that they would have to play it by ear. So to speak.

They were almost to the plaza when they spotted Berto and _Papa_ Franco coming toward them, identical worried expressions on their faces. Enrique felt the beginnings of worry settle into the pit of his stomach. Both men looked relieved to see the couple but their worry didn't disappear.

"I'm glad you're here," Berto said once they were within easy speaking distance, "We didn't want to have to waste time going all the way back to the house."

"What do you mean?" Luisa asked, her voice starting to tremble.

"Miguel was here," _Papa_ Franco answered, "The lady signing everyone up said he came up to her, asking if he could still sign up because he wanted to play in the plaza like that musician did. She told him he needed to have his own instrument; at which she said he looked slightly devastated, before going in search of one."

"She said she'd put him on the list if he could find one," Berto continued.

"But he couldn't find anyone who would let him borrow one," Papa Franco said sadly, "Maybe if they had, he would still be there. She said she saw him asking several people but everyone told him 'no.' Some were rude, others more polite."

"Did she see where he went?"

Both men shook their heads.

"She was distracted by the changing performers and when she looked back, he was gone."

"However, one of the mariachis we talked to did say they thought they saw someone matching his description heading toward the graveyard."

Berto watched as his brother and his wife silently communicated. He could tell they were trying not to let the worry get to them but it was difficult not to. Miguel was unpredictable, about most things, at the best of times. The only thing he seemed to really care about the most was music. There was no telling where he was now.

"Luisa and I will head to the graveyard and see if we can spot him," Enrique said finally, "Papa would you mind staying at the plaza in case he comes back?"

Of all the family members, Luisa, his _papa_, or Berto's wife, Carmen, would be the ones least likely to mind sitting in the plaza for the night. They would actually probably enjoy it. The three had given up music willingly for the chance to marry the ones they loved in the Rivera family, but it had to have been hard giving up something that was so much a part of daily life for them.

However, Luisa was going to be with him in the graveyard and Carmen would want to stay back at the house to watch the kids. That only left his _papa_ to sit in the plaza. Mama would be sitting with Mama Coco through all of this as she tried to calm down and Gloria would be helping Carmen. And neither of them were really in the mood to be around anyone.

"Of course, _mijo_," _Papa_ Franco said quietly. He gripped his son's shoulder firmly in comfort, "Don't worry too much. He'll turn up soon."

That said, he turned on his heel and headed back the way he and Berto had come. He needed to find a spot that had a good view of the entire plaza so he would be able to spot Miguel if he came back.

Enrique then turned to Berto, who was waiting patiently to see what task his younger brother wanted him to do.

"I hate to ask you this, since I know it's a bit of a walk" Enrique said, "But would you mind taking Abel and heading down to the _cenote_? I don't think he would have gone that far, he's been warned to stay away from there, but we all know how well he listens sometimes."

Berto snorted. That was an understatement.

` "I realize it'll take around an hour to get there and come back but I just want to make sure that he's not there."

"Of course, _hermano_," Berto replied stoutly, "I would do anything to give you and Luisa peace of mind."

He paused a moment.

"I'm afraid what I said to him didn't help this whole...situation."

Berto's tone and expression were hesitant, a big difference from his usually gruff demeanor.

"It's alright, _hermano_," Enrique assured his brother, "We all owe him an apology."

"Of course," Berto nodded, accepting the comfort for what it was, before heading down the street.

He called over his shoulder, "You two head to the cemetery. I'll grab Abel and we'll be on our way soon."

"_Gracias, hermano_," Enrique called back.

The couple waved to Berto before making their way to the cemetery. They skirted the plaza, hoping to avoid most of the crowds gathered there to listen to the performers. It was still slow going because Luisa wasn't able to move very fast; so it was fully dark by the time they made it.

As they got closer, they started to hear a disturbance near de la Cruz's mausoleum. A little ways in, they heard a woman telling a couple other people that the mausoleum had been broken into and the guitar moved from its resting place on the wall.

"You don't think-?" Luisa started, she was panicking slightly at the thought of Miguel doing something like that.

"Miguel!"

"Miguel, come home!" Enrique called, "Where are you Miguel?"

But there was no answer and no sign of their son anywhere in the graveyard. Everyone they asked merely said 'no' before turning back to their own family celebrations, unconcerned with the troubles of someone else on this night. After about an hour searching the cemetery, they finally gave up the thought that he might be hiding from them among the gravestones. They started to head back to Mariachi Plaza to see if Miguel had shown back up there.

"It'll be alright," Enrique said, doing his best to reassure Luisa, "I'm sure _Papa_ has him at the plaza."

"I hope so," Luisa replied. She was fast approaching the point of exhaustion, the constant worry and walking sapping what little energy she had left over from her pregnancy.

"You'll see," Her husband said cheerfully but she could see straight through to the worry he was trying to hide. The couple entered the plaza. Performers were packing up their instruments, the winners boasting over to one side, as they all started to head to their own homes and celebrations. Enrique spotted his _papa's_ hat off to the left, "There's _Papa_. He'll have Miguel with him. I'm sure of it."

But as they got closer, it became apparent from _Papa_ Franco's expression that Miguel wasn't with him. Luisa moaned as she sat next to her father-in-law.

"I'm sorry, _mijo_," Papa Franco said. There was sadness in his eyes as he laid his hand on Luisa's shoulder, "He hasn't shown back up and everyone I asked hasn't seen him since earlier."

"It's alright, _Papa_. Maybe Berto and Abel found him on their way to the _cenote_."

Franco's eyebrows went up at that but he nodded his agreement.

Enrique was trying to stay positive but the little hope he still had was quickly slipping through his fingers as if he were trying to hold water. They sank even lower when he saw Berto and Abel step into the plaza. Both men were winded and sweaty. It was obvious from their postures and expressions that they hadn't found Miguel either.

"What now?" Berto asked once he and his son had reached the rest of the family.

"I guess all that's left to do is to comb the town. _Papa_ can take Luisa home while we search."

Luisa wasn't happy she was being relegated to the sidelines, even if she knew logically that this was what was best for her and her baby. She was dead on her feet as it was. All she could do now was to go home and hope that Enrique and the others managed to find Miguel.

"I can do that," _Papa_ Franco agreed. He stood and stretched, "I'll also see if I can talk to your mama."

"Mama isn't in the best of moods right now, _Papa_," Enrique warned, "It may be better to leave her be at the moment."

"Maybe so," _Papa_ Franco agreed solemnly, "But as her husband, I think I need to have a conversation with her about how her actions have badly hurt one of our family and, by extension, all of us. I understand that she's the head of this family, and I bow to her decisions most of the time. But I also know when it's my duty to tell her she's done wrong."

Berto and Enrique didn't say anything. Their _papa_ was a quiet man and he didn't use that tone often. When he did, it was best to just agree and move on. The family stood together for a few more moments, silently bolstering and comforting each other before they split to go their separate ways. As _Papa_ Franco and Luisa headed back to the house, Abel, Enrique, and Berto sat for a few more minutes, drawing a rough map of the town in the dust and assigning zones to search. Eventually, they all split to begin combing the town for the wayward boy.

They searched all night. Down every street and every back alley. They canvased everywhere at least twice, even going to parts of the town it normally wasn't safe to go.

But it was _Dia de los Muertos_ and every other family was huddled around their _ofrendas_, eating and drinking, and sharing stories of those who had passed on. Like their family should have been doing.

It was getting close to midnight now and there was still no sign of Miguel anywhere.

Slowly, as his hopes started to flag even more, and the worry grew, Enrique started to feel resentment towards his mama beginning to take the place of hope as he desperately searched for his son. He quickly squashed it as soon as he became aware of the feeling, but the niggling thought that his mama tended to put the music ban before her family was there in the back of his mind. He'd never known a house full of music, so he couldn't really miss what he'd never had. But it bothered him now, like it never had before, as resentment and frustration at the thought that her actions had driven his son away.

He tried to ignore the fact that it had been him who insisted on giving Miguel time to calm down. But it was there, niggling at the back of his mind and festering. Maybe if they'd gone after him immediately, Miguel wouldn't be missing now. Maybe if he'd spoken up sooner, stopped things before they got out of hand, maybe they wouldn't be out searching right now and be at home celebrating instead.

Darker thoughts followed on the heels of the resentment and guilt. Thoughts of the possibility that they would never find Miguel, and the fight it would cause amongst the family. Thoughts of the constant blame that would be passed around from person to person. Blame he knew he deserved part of. Thoughts of the eventual splitting of the family that was bound to happen as a result if they were unable to find Miguel.

One particular idea penetrated all the others and he grasped onto it as he viciously turned his ire towards _Mama_ Imelda and the musician whose name they didn't know. The musician who'd left his family behind to wonder and worry, before finally growing angry and resentful at his abandonment. And yet, while he may have left, there was a whole host of reasons why he never came back. He could have been in an accident and lost his memory. There was the possibility he decided he loved fame more than his wife and daughter. He could have found some other woman, or a host of other women, he liked better. The man could have been murdered for all they knew!

They only know one side of the story because no one bothered to find out the truth.

The musician left, that was a fact, but _Mama_ Imelda was the one who banned music. _Mama_ Imelda was the one who ensured no memory of the man remained except what was left of the memories locked inside _Mama_ Coco's fading mind! Without her decrees, that his _mama_ followed so religiously, his son would still be here with his family!

Miguel wouldn't have had to hide his love of music. He wouldn't have had to sneak and lie about the one thing in the world he was most passionate about. Wouldn't have been so desperate and insistent that that musician was Mama Imelda's estranged husband.

So if you thought about it, _Mama_ Imelda carried the most blame in this whole situation. Her and that musician.

Desperate, grief-stricken people are rarely logical.

These thoughts, and others like them, kept going round and round in Enrique's head, taking both his thoughts and emotions in an ever downward spiral as the night began to move towards morning and his exhaustion and hunger grew. He dreaded the thought that he would have to stop without finding his son. He dreaded going home and telling his family, telling Luisa, that he couldn't find him.

Eventually, Berto and Abel passed out on a bench by the plaza near dawn. Enrique went by them at one point but he couldn't stop. He had to keep going. He was starting to stumble from exhaustion, too tired to feel even the constant worry that had been with him most of the night; completely numb to all physical and mental sensation. Enrique dragging his feet with each step now, but he couldn't stop.

He had to find Miguel.

Enrique knew, logically, that he would eventually have to take a break; his body was going to give out soon. He knew, at some point, he would have to get the authorities involved in finding Miguel but he just wasn't ready to admit failure. Not yet. It felt too much like he would be failing Miguel.

As the sun rose higher, the town still sleeping from a night of festivities, there was movement out of the corner of his eye to his right. He almost didn't turn, almost didn't look to see who else was up and around. His sluggish mind nearly didn't process as Berto yelled out "There he is!" but Enrique swung around to see Miguel sprinting by as if there were someone chasing him.

"Miguel!" Enrique cried, hand outstretched as he took a stumbling step forward. His tired mind barely processed that Miguel's jacket was gone and he had something in his hand but all Enrique really cared about was that his son was alive in front of him, "Stop!"

Marigold petals flew as Enrique found the energy once more to run after his son, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he met up with Berto and Abel at the end of the street. The three pounded the cobblestones as they followed Miguel back to the house. When they reached the gate to the compound they could hear _Mama_ Elena yelling at Miguel to open a door. Curiosity drove them on and they found her outside _Mama_ Coco's room, pounding away at it and yelling at the top of her voice.

The woman was frazzled; still wearing the clothes from the night before.. It was obvious that she hadn't slept any more than Enrique had

"Miguel!" Mama Elena yelled once more before she stormed off, muttering something about a key.

By this point the rest of the family had gathered from the various places they'd been in the house. No one had really been able to sleep that night for worrying about what had happened to Miguel. They were all standing awkwardly outside _Mama_ Coco's door, unsure what to do as they waited for Mama Elena to return. Miguel's voice drifted through the door, his tone was pleading but none of them could understand what had him so upset.

Enrique stepped up to the door, hoping that maybe Miguel would listen to him.

"Miguel, open this door!" He called as he too pounded uselessly at it, the leftover worry and desperation adding an edge to his voice, "Miguel!"

Luisa gently pulled him back as Elena finally returned with the key, muttering under her breath as she tried to open the door with shaking hands. It took a couple tries but she eventually succeeded. Elena immediately started yelling as she burst through the door, Enrique and Luisa not far behind.

"What are you doing to that poor woman?!"

She pushed past Miguel to get to _Mama_ Coco's side, soothing words pouring from her mouth. But Enrique had eyes only for his wayward son.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked, anger and relief making his voice sharp. Enrique was prepared to lay into Miguel for worrying them so badly, he was prepared to lecture him for as long as he was able, but all the fight left him when he realized his son was crying. Miguel was, very obviously, hurting.

Enrique reached out towards his son, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, only for Miguel to turn immediately at his touch and wrap his arms around Enrique, burying his face in Enrique's stomach as he cried. Enrique reached down, engulfing Miguel to him in both comfort and relief, even as he felt Luisa's arms wrap around them both.

"I thought I lost you Miguel," He said shakily.

"I'm sorry, _Papa_."

"We're all together now, that's what matters," Luisa's own voice was shaking with relief.

"Not all of us," Miguel muttered, almost angrily.

Before either Enrique or Luisa had a chance to ask what he meant by that statement, an enraged Elena turned around and addressed Miguel.

"Miguel, you apologize to your _Mama_ Coco," She said sternly, eyes narrowed.

Miguel turned, shoulders slumped in defeat as he shuffled over to _Mama_ Coco's chair. There was obviously something really bothering his son, but now was not the time for Enrique to figure out what. That would come later. After he'd given Miguel a stern talking to.

"_Mama_ Coco?" Miguel sniffed, taking another step. But there was a hollow 'thump' as his foot knocked into something and Enrique looked down, finally noticing the white guitar on the floor. It was beautiful and expensive looking. Something about it seemed to say it was really, really old, too.

'Now where did he get that?' Enrique wondered.

But Miguel was speaking again, his voice and expression saying he'd been handed an unexpected gift.

"_Mama_ Coco? Your papa, he wanted you to have this," Miguel said as he knelt next to _Mama_ Coco's chair, picked up the guitar, and began to strum out a tune. Elena reacted instantly, reaching out to stop him and grab this guitar as she had the other, perhaps to break it, too, but Enrique reached out quickly, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder before she could get close.

"_Mama_," He said breathlessly. For some reason anticipation was building in his chest, "Wait."

Then, all of a sudden, he, his _mama_, Luisa, and all the other family members behind them were frozen in place as Miguel began to sing. The song was poignant, almost sad, and they listened in awe.

Enrique felt amazement go through him. The further Miguel got in the song, the more _Mama_ Coco reacted. More than she'd reacted to any outside stimulus in a long time.

"Look," Luisa whispered, pointing to _Mama_ Coco's hand.

Shock and hope warred with each other as they watched _Mama_ Coco reacting to Miguel's presence. Or rather, the song he was playing. But if they were shocked before, it was nothing to what they felt when Mama Coco started to sing along. Enrique heard Mama Elena sniffle at the sight of her mama more aware than she'd been in ages.

The two finished their impromptu duet, both smiling at each other. _Mama_ Coco looked peaceful as she looked at her great-grandson. _Mama_ Elena sniffled again, this time _Mama_ Coco heard her. The old woman turned to her daughter with a smile.

"Elena? What's wrong, _mija_?" _Mama_ Coco asked in gentle confusion.

"Nothing, _Mama_," Her daughter answered softly, "Nothing at all."

None of the rest of the family was able to say anything, too happy to see _Mama_ Coco aware and talking again. Reaching out his arms, Enrique pulled his _mama_ and Luisa close, happy his son was safe, as they all listened in awe to the interaction between Miguel and _Mama_ Coco. None of them dared move, just in case this was a dream.

"My papa used to sing me that song," _Mama_ Coco said happily in her unhurried way.

"He loved you, _Mama_ Coco," The boy insisted earnestly, as if trying to impart some great knowledge, "Your _papa_ loved you so much."

The ultimate conviction in Miguel's face and voice negated any doubt or question of how he could possibly know anything about a man that had been gone for nearly a hundred years. He spoke as if it were a fact. He could have said the sky was red and they would have believed him at that point. Mama Coco's eyes grew teary as she reached a hand out to her grandson. Her expression said she'd needed to heart those words for a very long time.

Turning away from Miguel, _Mama_ Coco reached over to the drawer next to her; rummaging around inside it, she eventually pulled out a book from where it had been buried at the very bottom.

"I kept his letters," She said in that slow unhurried way that only those who have reached as advanced an age as she had, could manage, "poems he wrote me, and…"

She didn't finish, merely handed a scrap of paper to Miguel. When Miguel realized what he held, Enrique saw recognition, relief, and joy light up his son's face. He didn't notice the knowing look Mama Coco gave Miguel; a look of deep satisfaction. Miguel reached down and picked up the photo of _Mama_ Coco and _Mama_ Imelda. Enrique hadn't realized that Miguel even still had it but he watched as Miguel slowly brought the two pieces together.

They were a perfect fit.

Enrique was hit with too many emotions to name as he realized he was finally going to be able to see what _Mama_ Coco's _papa_ looked like.

"_Papa_ was a musician," _Mama_ Coco said as her family held on to every word she spoke, "When I was a little girl, he and _Mama_ would sing such beautiful songs."

Miguel jumped up at that, giving his _Mama_ Coco a big hug. The woman returned it, slower, but no less heartfelt.

As they all stood watching Mama Coco and listening as she told story after story about her _papa_, whose name was apparently Hector, and reading the letters he'd sent _Mama_ Coco, letters dripping with so much love it couldn't be ignored, Enrique felt something in his chest begin to ease. Miguel was safe, _Mama_ Coco was mentally with them again, and, as he once again perused the letters from _Papa_ Hector to _Mama_ Coco, he realized that what he'd thought earlier was true.

They hadn't known the whole story.

But that was alright because they were learning it now.

They would figure out where Miguel had been later. Later they could question him to within an inch of his life. But right now he was fine.

Everything was good.

Everything would be alright.


End file.
